
Gingerbread Golem
To bring to life the dead space between fall Jewish holidays and winter Jewish holidays: The Gingerbread Golem.
A patty-cake version of the legendary creature that was shaped from clay by Rabbi Loew of Prague. My Gingerbread Golem has been patted, pricked and marked—not with a “B”, but with the three Hebrew letters aleph, mem, and tav, which spell EMET (“truth”): the magic word written on the golem’s foreheard, bringing it to life.
To deactivate his creature, Rabbi Loew erased the aleph, leaving the two letters that spell MET (“dead”)…
…but I can think of a better way to get rid of the aleph on a Gingerbread Golem.
P.S.
Good golem story for kids: Golem, by David Wisniewski (a Caldecott-winning picture book).
I searched for “Gingerbread Golem” precedents and came up with Dungeons & Dragons and Minecraft references, but no actual ironic cookie. So I had to make one.
EDIT (3 days later…):
Heavens. I didn’t think anyone (else) would actually want to MAKE these, so this post wasn’t a DIY, but I just received a plaintive picture of a golem gone wrong.
So, I offer some tips:
First, my post photo is pre-oven. And second, results will vary.
DOUGH: Pick a recipe known for not puffing up, and for being hard-wearing. Clues in the description will be: cannot be over-worked, indestructible for kids, etc. My favorite recipe is from Saint Martha.
Roll only 1/8 inch thick so there will be less dough to puff. Puff = no detail.
The bigger the gingerbread man cutter, the easier to make and see the letters.
LETTERS: Make letter impressions as deep as you can manage, because these too will puff a bit. Use a toothpick. Even a rubber stamp might need some deepening.
LETTER COLOR: Any color added pre-oven will probably not look the same post-oven, but do a few to test. For best results, add color to the impressions after the golem has cooled.
Food-safe markers are the easiest way to draw fine lines on smooth food, but careful people can use toothpicks dipped in dye.
You are the Maharal of Jewish Crafting. (Do you have a fave gingerbread recipe? Or advice for writing “Emet”? Did you use a toothpick dipped in food coloring?)
Oh, Snarly, I was just about to tag you when I posted to fb. I remember your affection for the Golem! For the letters, I make impressions with rubber stamps, then fill in with food-safe marker. I don’t have an all-time fave gingerbread cookie recipe, but I’ve been using Patti Paige’s version I found in a book (a real book, right here in the kitchen) from Martha Stewart Living. EDIT: NO! Wait! Better Martha recipe is here.
Brilliant! We love the Golem story and the book you mention above (David’s, not Martha’s). I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks, Rachel!
Brilliant! Our synagogue book club read a book about the Golem. Would have been great fun to bring these to the discussion. Will definitely share this idea with our Sunday school teachers. I can imagine that even a disengaged teen would love a discussion about the Golem, spurred by these cookies — especially with the EMET vs. MET distinction in a single letter.
Thank you, Ellen. And good idea about attracting bored youth with edible golems… Hey, was your book club pick The Golem and the Jinni, by chance? I really enjoyed that book.
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